Clinical manifestations of chromic acid toxicity: nasal lesions in electroplate workers

A report on the toxic effects of chromic acid exposure as identified in a group of electroplate workers. Thirty five of the 37 (95%) employees exposed to low atmospheric concentrations of chromic acid were shown to have significant nasal pathology, while a lesser number of employees had developed characteristic chrome induced skin lesions. A precise spectrum of nasal pathology was demonstrated, in which the development of increasingly severe lesions appeared to be related to the workers' length of exposure to chromic acid. Workers employed in control areas of the plant were determined to be free of cutaneous and nasal pathology suggestive of such exposure. The mechanism by which nasal pathology developed in the exposed group of workers is believed to result from either longterm exposure to low levels of hexavalent chrome in the work room atmosphere, or direct contact of the affected nasal tissues with hexavalent chrome. The latter was shown to be related to poor work practices and inadequate personal hygiene care. In all probability, the nasal damage observed in the workers at this facility has resulted from a combination of both mechanisms, however, further epidemiologic studies are needed to define which mechanisms are operative.